Pressing iron capable of being converted to a steam iron



M y 8, 1956 I. JEPSON 2,744,344

PRESSING IRON CAPABLE OF BEING CONVERTED TO A STEAM IRON Filed Oct. 28.1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BY [var Je nson May 8, 1.956 I. JEPSON .PRESSING IRON CAPABLE OF BEINGCONVERTED TO A STEAM IRON Filed Oct. 28, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.[Var J y 8, 1956 JEPSON 2,744,344

PRESSING IRON CAPABLE OF BEING CONVERTED TO A STEAM IRON Filed Oct. 28,1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR. [Var k/ oson c' 'um k luj any '5.

May 8, 1956 l. JEPSON 2,744,344

PRES-SING IRON CAPABLE OF BEING CONVERTED TO A STEAM IRON Filed 001;.28, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 fi INVENTOR.

J 1 far J6 5072 May 1 l. JEPSON PRESSING IRON CAPABLE OF BEING CONVERTEDTO A STEAM IRON Filed Oct. 28, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. [Var d'eson can: 8 dill/l5.

l............. nu... my i United States Patent-{O PRESSING IRON CAPABLEOF BEING CONVERTED TO A STEAM IRON Ivar Jepson, Oak Park, Ill., assignorto Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication October 28, 1950, Serial No. 192,671

14 Claims. (Cl. 38-77) The present invention relates to pressing ironsand more particularly to a pressing iron capable of readily beingconverted to a steam iron.

In recent years there have been extensive developments in connectionwith so called steam irons in which water disposed in a reservoirassociated with the iron is converted to steam and fed through the soleplate of the iron so as to be distributed to the material being ironed.The type of steam iron which heretofore has found the most favor is theso-called flash boiler type in which water is fed through an orificeinto a steam generating chamber and flashed almost instantly to steam.However, even the steam irons of the above mentioned type are subject tonumerous difiiculties. In the first place, it has been conventionalpractice to provide such steam irons with a water flow control orificeof relatively small diameter through which water is supplied to theflash boiler, whereupon the water is instantly flashed into steam andwhich steam is then supplied to the bottom surface of the sole platethrough suitable steam ports. It is a well known fact that ordinary tapwater contains various amounts of mineral impurities which uponconverting ice the sole plate to the desired operating temperature, butthe body of water associated with the sole plate as well.

The demand in recent years for pressing irons has been toward lightweight irons. The housewife refuses to push around a heavy iron when alight weight iron is available. A steam iron of necessity heretofore hasbeen heavier than the light weight irons on the market by virme of thewater tank, control valves, and the like, to say nothing of the weightof the water contained in the water reservoir. It would be desirable toprovide an arrangement in which a light weight steam iron no heaviersuch water to steam, these mineral impurities are dethe flash boilertype of steam irons would gradually fill up. In fact, in certainlocalities such orifices were deleteriously affected with only one ortwo uses of the steam iron. As a result of this, manufacturers who arewholly honest with the public make it clear that their steam ironsshould only be used with distilled water.

This means that the housewife would have to purchase distilled water andtransfer the distilled water from the container in which it waspurchased to the steam iron water reservoir. Moreover, to keep the bulkof the iron small, the reservoir for the water was also relatively smalland the repeated filling of the reservoir was an undesirable chore, somuch so, in fact, that many housewives refuse to employ distilled Waterand use tap water in the iron with a result that after a short time, theiron fails to work, with a consequent complaint to the manufacturer.

Pressing irons, Whether steam or otherwise, are conventionally providedwith thermostatic control means for maintaining the iron at selectedpredetermined temperatures. With the conventional steam irons employedtoday, the temperature control problem is unduly complicated since thethermostat must function properly when the tank is almost filled withwater as well as when the tank is almost empty. Moreover, with suchprior art irons, a delay is always involvedbefore the iron can be usedas a steam iron, it being not only necessary to heat than the ordinaryiron might be employed, thereby greatly reducing the amount of efiortapplied by the housewife. It is well known, of course, that in ironingcertain heavy goods, added pressure must be applied to the iron.However, such downward pressure can readily be applied by the housewifewhen needed, with little effort on her part so that at other times whensuch pressure need not 'be applied, a light iron is available. In somesteam irons employed heretofore, the orifice through which the water issupplied to the iron was found to be of the order of 0.009" to 0.016" indiameter. This dimension varied in dependence upon the water heademployed. Where only about a one inch head of water is relied upon toforce the water through the orifice, larger orifices approaching theupper end of the above-mentioned range are generally employed. Wheregoods of varying density are ironed with such prior art irons, asubstantial reduction in the steam flow occurs as the density of thegoods is increased. This is due to the fact that the impedance to steamflow ofiered by the goods, in the case of relatively heavy goods, is asubstantial proportion of the total flow impedance including thatthrough the orifice for the particular water heads employed. It would bedesirable to provide a steam iron in which the density of the goodsbeing ironed is relatively immaterial as far as steam penetration isconcerned and, moreover, it would be desirable to provide a steam ironin which the steam penetrates quicker and deeper into the material beingironed than is presently the case. Obviously, ,quicker and deeperpenetration will insure faster ironing since the wrinkles in thelowermost layers of the goods being ironed will be removed quicker withfaster and deeper steam penetration.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved steam iron.

It is another object of the present invention to provide asteam ironwhich eliminates the numerous disadvantages of prior art steam ironsenumerated above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a light weightsteam iron no heavier than a conventional light weight pressing ironwhich eliminates the water tank, valves and the like, customarily builtinto such steam irons.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a steam ironemploying only distilled water which does not require periodic fillingof a water tank and emptying of the tank when the ironing operation iscompleted, but which may be used for many, many hours without fillingand in which a minimum of effort is required on the part of thehousewife to apply distilled water to the steam iron.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provisionof a steam iron in which substantially uniform pressure may be obtainedat the steam ports by pressure head means remote from the iron whichsimultaneously provides complete safety from the occurrence of highpressures.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pressing ironwhich may be used as a conventional iron and-which, with a smallattachment, may readily be converted to a steam iron superior to steamirons now available on the market.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of asteam iron in which a constant water flow is provided at all times undera sufiicient pressure head and in which the major resistance to steamflow is found in the iron and associated apparatus itself, so thatironing goods of different density has little or no effect on the speedor depth of steam penetration through the goods.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of asteam iron which is substantially instantaneous in operation providingsteam within approximately thirty seconds after the iron is plugged in.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description pro ceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an ironing board with which isassociated a pressing iron of the present inven tion connected foroperation as a steam iron;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top view of the pressing iron of the presentinvention and the associated attachment for converting it to a steamiron;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with portionsthereof shown in phantom to avoid sectionalizing large portions ofinsulating material and at the same time more clearly to show thedetails thereof;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the sole plate and thermostat controlmechanism of the present invention with the upper part of the pressingiron including the handle removed, but showing the steam generatingchamber and the steam conduit for supplying the chamber with water;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the steam generatingchamber of the steam 'iron of the present invention with the coverthereof removed;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the sole plate of the iron toillustrate the steam ports and steam distributing grooves providedthereon;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the steam iron of the present inventionto show the steam supply conduit and method of attaching the same to thesteamiron;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the pressure regulating means ofthe present invention shown associated with a water container of thetype shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 1010 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the pressureregulator means of Fig. .8;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged view partly in section of another portion of thepressure producing means of Fig. 1;

Fig. 14 is a somewhat schematic circuit diagram of the electricalcircuit of the pressing iron of the present invention;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary top plan view of 'a modified steam generatingchamber of the type shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings; and

Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken on line 1616 of Fig. 15.

The steam iron of the present invention essentially comprises aconventional type pressing iron having the well known U-shaped form ofheating element embedded in the sole plate with a steam "generatingchamber defined within the bight of the U-shaped heating element whichsteam generating chamber has ports leading therefrom to the bottomsurface of the sole plate, a conduit extending along one leg of theU-shaped heating element terminates in a fixture leading to the exteriorof the iron. This fixture is provided with a suitable cover to close theopening when the iron is employed as a conventional pressing iron. Whenthe iron is employed as a steam iron, a suitable tube is inserted intothe fixture which tube is connected with a source of distilled watersuch as the conventional jug or vessel of distilled water which may bepurchased in any drug store. In order to provide a pressure head toforce the water from the jug into the steam conduit and to the steamgenerating chamber, there is provided an attachment in the form of apressure producing and pressure regulating unit adapted to be attachedto the conventional distilled water container, which unit is designed toprovide a constant pressure head of the order of several pounds persquare inch and at substantially higher pressures than water isordinarily supplied to conventional steam irons.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated the pressing iron 20of the present invention having the conventional power cord 21 which isillustrated as being suitably connected to a wall outlet 22. The iron 20in Fig. 1 is illustrated as being associated with an ironing board 23which forms no part of the present invention. In order thatthe pressingiron 20 may be readily converted to a steam iron, there is in accordancewith the present invention provided an attachment generally designatedby the reference numeral 25 in Fig. 2 of the drawings and described ingreater detail hereinafter. This attachment 25 is adapted to beassociated with a standard container or vessel such as 26 for distilledwater to supply such water under pressure to the .iron 20. This water isconverted to steam in a manner described fully in the ensuing description. It will beunderstood that distilled water as used conventionallyin homes is normally purchased at drug stores or other outlets insuitable containers such as half-gallon orgallon containers. Thecontainer 26 may be any available container, but preferably is a galloncontainer in order to provide a substantial supply of distilled waterwhich may be used for along time. The attachment 25 includes a flexibletubular member 27 which connects the attachment 25 with the pressingiron 20. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the power cord .21 and thetube 27 are disposed so that they tend to be closely associated, wherebythe addition of the tube 27 does not complicate matters in the slightestsince it is in effect merely an additional cord. As is obvious vfrom thedrawings, the tube 27 is several feet in length.

Considering now the details of the pressing iron with specific referenceto Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, the iron is in many respectssimilar to the iron disclosed and claimed in Bisley .Patent 2,277,034assigned to the same .assignee as the present application. Asillustrated, the pressing .iron 20 comprises a sole plate 30 heated byan electrical heating element 31 which preferably .is of the sheathedtype. .Such types of heating element are well known and generallycomprises a helical resistance conductor centrally disposed within anouter metallic sheath and supported inspaced relationship with referenceto the sheath by an insulating heat conducting mass formed of asuitablematerial such as highly compressed magnesium oxide. This lattermaterialhas beenjfound to provide the desired insulation and at the sametime have sufficiently good heat conducting properties so as not todelay the transfer of heat from the coiled resistor-element disposedcentrally of the sheath to the sheath and hence to the sole plate whichit is desired to heat. The sheathed heating element .31, as is bestshown in Fig. 4, is of generally U-shaped configuration or roughlyin theshape of a hair pin withextremities ,of its legs designated as 31a and31b, respectively, :being disposedat the rear of the iron and its bight31c being locatedat the front or pointed end of the sole-plate..Preferably,:the U-shaped heating-element 31is emhedded in the soleplate .30 as by being cast therein during'the'processof casting the soleplate from suitable materials such as aluminum or the like. I Asillustrated in the drawings, the sole plate is provided with an integralupwardly extending U-shaped rib 30a (see Figs. 3, 4, 5 and in which theheating element 31 is received. The heating element 31 is moreoverprovided with suitable terminals 33a and 33b extending out of themetallic sheath as best shown in Fig. 4, it being understood that theseterminals are suitably connected to the centrally disposed resistanceelement contained within the sheath of the sheathed heating element 31.

For the purpose of defining a steam generating chamber which is in goodheat transfer relationship with the heating element 31 or at least withthe rib a in which the heating element 31 is disposed, the front upperportion of the sole plate 30 is provided with a well or chambergenerally designated at 35. This chamber is defined within the spacedefined by the closed end of the U-shaped rib 39a and a cross member 36which extends between the two legs of the U-shaped rib 30a. The edge ofthe rib 39a enclosing the chamber is provided with a cut away ledgegenerally designated at 37 which is level with the top of the crossmember 36 for supporting thereon a suitable cover or closure 38 for thesteam generating chamber 35. This cover is adapted to be heldin positionin sealed relationship with the ledge 37 and the cross member 36 bysuitable fastening means comprising the screw 39 and a hexagonal rod 40each having threaded portions for engaging suitable threads defined inraised integral portions of the sole plate disposed within the steamgenerating chamber 35. These raised portions are designated by thereference iuuuerals i1 42, respectively, in Figs. 3 and 5 of thedrawings. threaded opening 443a for receiving a cooperating threadedportion of the rod 40. The ledge 3'7 and cross member 36 may be coveredwith a suitable sealing cement if desired to produce a steam tight jointwith the cover 38. The hexagonal rod 4% is of substantial length andextends upwardly so as to provide a threaded opening for receiving asuitable fastening means such as 43 for holding other portions of thepressing iron to the sole plate as will become apparent from thefollowing description.

The pressing iron of the present invention when used as a steam ironwill function on the so-called flash boiler principle in that waterunder pressure, as will become apparent from the following description,is supplied to the steam chamber 35' which steam chamber is at hightemperature and causes this water to be flashed into steam. When wateris dropped onto a surface which is too hot, it will not wet the surface,but instead will form water globules which roll around the surface. Itis desirable to have the temperature of the surface on which the waterdrops fall sufliciently cool so that the surface is wet by the water,whereupon the water flowstoward a higher temperature portion of thesteam generating chamber and is more or less instantaneously convertedto steam. When an aluminum sole plate is employed, aluminum having veryhigh thermal conductivity, it is diificult, if not impossible, tocontrol the temperature so that it is relatively lower in one spot thanin another. xperience dictates that the sole plate should have atemperature of the order of 350 F. before water is permitted in thesteam chamber. At this temperature water drops will run around in smallballs and will not wet the surface to be readily converted to steam withthe result that water instead of steam might be discharged from thesteam iron.

For the purpose of insuring that the water drops will wet the bottomsurface of the steam generating chamber 35, the walls thereof are coatedwith a thin coat of inorganic insulating material which providessuficient temperature drop at the surface of the steam chamber wallswhich results in the water wetting the surface and the desiredgeneration of steam. Numerous coatings may be. employed which willoperate satisfactorily for a time, but many of these will wash away asdistilled water continuously drops thereon so as to expose the metallicsurface The portion 42 is provided with a with the undesirable resultsreferred to above. It has been found that if a thin solution of amaterialsold on the market under the trade-name Insa-Lute is evaporatedfrom the steam chamber, a permanent and satisfactory coating results.Insa-LuteT is a type of ceramic cement that can be dispersed in waterwhich when evaporated leaves a white hard coating.

To permit water to reach the steam generating chamber 35, the'cover 38is provided with an opening 46 which is directly above a flat shelfportion 47 upon which the Water is dropped which shelf portion is alsocoated with the inorganic insulating material mentioned above. Thetemperature of this flat shelf portion upon which the water is dropped,aside from the insulating coating, may

also be somewhat higher than other portions of the sole plate andparticularly other portions of the steam generating chamber 35 since itis closely adjacent to the rod or post 40 which is in heat transferrelationship with other portions of the iron. The raised portions 41 and42 and the ledge 37 surrounding the steam generating chamber are eachprovided with integral projections 30c which extend into the steamgenerating chamber in a manner clearly shown by Fig. 5 of the drawingsto define labyrinth passageways so that water supplied to the surface4'7 at the rear of the steam iron can only flow forwardly through twotortuous passages, until it eventually reaches the main forward portionof the steam iron which comprises a relatively deep recess 48. By thetime the water reaches the portion 48, it has, of course, been convertedto superheated steam. In order to insure that no liquid particles enterthe recess 48, there preferably is provided a raised wall portion 49bounding the recess 48 which wall portion extends almost to the cover 38so that all water droplets not converted to steam by the time the wall49 is reached will remain to the rear of the wall 49 and only thesuperheated steam can pass over the top of the wall'and through thesomewhat narrow passageway designated by the reference numeral 50 inFig. 3 of the drawings into the recess 48. Since the recess 48 isclosely enveloped on three sides by the U-shaped heatiug element, ittends to be disposed at the hottest portion of the iron, thus insuringsuperheated steam. This steam which has flowed in a forward directionthrough the steam generating chamber 35 and through labyrinthpassageways is permitted to leave the recess 48 and be discharged at thesurface of the sole platethrough suitable steam ports 51 which connectthe bottom of the recess 48 with the ironing surface of the sole plate30. Thus, the steam is discharged from the iron over an area comprisingthe hottest portion of the sole plate. In order to obtain distributionof the steam at the ironing surface over a substantial area of thisironing surface, the pressing surface of the sole plate may be providedwith a plurality of elongated grooves or notches designated at 53 inFigs. 3 and 6 of the drawings. These notches are illustrated asproviding a Y-shaped configuration with the common portion of the Yadjacent the ports 51 and, in fact, each groove having one of theseports 51 terminating therein. These grooves will with the goods beingironed define steam passageways to distribute the steam over asubstantial area.

In order for water to be supplied to the steam generating chamber 35through the opening 46, in the cover 38 there is provided a conduit 55which extends generally along one leg of the rib 30a and which includesa downwardly projecting portion 55a extending into the open ing 46. Theother end of the conduit 55 terminates in a suitable coupling 56 havinga threaded portion which may be associated with suitable additionalcoupling means to be described hereinafter. The conduit 55, the couplingfixture 56 and the cover 38 preferably comprise a subassembly of theiron and are suitably united so as to provide a sealed passageway fromthe coupling 56 into the steam chamber 35. It will be understood that byhaving the conduit 55 extending along one leg of the rib;

7 39a and consequently along one leg of the heating element 31, thatwater which flows through the conduit is heated so that by the time itreaches the surface 47 of the steam generating chamber 35, it has beensubstantially elevated in temperature. The conduit 55 has an internaldiameter of the same order of magnitude as the bore of flexible conduit27 as, for example, .03 to .04.

Except for the steam generating chamber described above, including thesteam ports 51 through the sole plate 30, the grooves 53 on the pressingsurface thereof, the conduit 55 and coupling 56, the pressing iron ofthe present invention may be conventionally and substantially identicalwith light weight pressing irons extensively manufactured and sold bythe assignee of the present application.

For the purpose of completely illustrating the present invention, thepressing iron comprises a recess generally designated at at the centerrear of the sole plate 343 which is conventionally referred to as athermostat well and wherein may be disposed a suitable thermalresponsive control device generally designated at 61 for maintaining thetemperature of the sole plate at certain preselected temperatures inresponse to the setting of a manually controlled device. The top of thesole plate 30 including the steam generating chamber already describedand the thermostat well 60 are enclosed by a conventional cover or shell62 which is usually a sheet metal stamping of some sort which at itsrear is provided with portions 62a best shown in Fig. 7 of the drawingsto deline legs upon which the iron may be supported when it is disposedin a vertical non-ironing position commonly referred to as the restposition thereof. The shell or cover 62 is secured to the sole plate bythe fastening means 43 already described passing through an openingdefined in cover 62 and threadedly engaging the recess 40a in thehexagonal rod 40. In addition, a screw 65 adjacent the rear of the ironholds a suitable closure plate 66 in position, which closure plate hasan extension engaging suitable integral lugs 30b on the sole platethereby eliectively clamping the rear portion of the cover or shell 62to the sole plate.

So that the operator may manipulate the pressing iron discussed thusfar, there is conventionally provided a suitable handle generallyindicated at 68 and preferably formed of a molded insulating materialsuch as one of the many synthetic resins capable of withstandingrelatively high temperatures in the neighborhood of 275 to 300 F. Asillustrated, the handle 68 is provided with a rearwardly projectingportion 68a which with the legs 62a completes the supporting means forthe iron when its non-ironing position. The handle is cored at itsforward and rear ends, respectively, to provide the necessary chambersboth for the manually actuable selective control and for the electricalconnections with the power cord 21. The base portion of the handle whichextends over a substantial part of the iron, includes means forattaching the handle to the iron and is essentially the same as thatdisclosed in the above mentioned Bisley patent.

As disclosed in the Bisley patent, there is provided between the handle68 and the cover or shell 62 a spacer plate 70 (see Fig. 3). To reduceto a minimum the heat conduction between the handle-68 and the pressingiron proper, preferably, this spacer plate is fastened to the cover 62.at a plurality of spaced points indicated at 71 in Figs. 3 and 10 of thedrawings. The spacer plate is deformed sufficiently so as to insure asubstantial space between the shell 62 and the spacer plate 70. Thespacer plate 70 is also provided with a plurality of suitable openingssuch as 72, 73 and 74 to permit various control apparatus to extendtheretlirough and also to permit access with a suitable screw driver toscrew 43 for holding the cover or shell 62 in position relative to thesole plate 30. Moreover, thecover or shell 62 is provided with anopening 72zrwhicl'ri's in' alignmentwith the opening 72 in the spacerplate, and an opening 74a which is in alignment with the opening 74 inthe spacer "plate. In addition, there is also provided the openingalready described for accommodating the screw 43. The openings 74 and74a permit electrical connections between the thermal responsive controldevice 61, the heating element 31 and the power cord 21 to be madewithin a cored chamber within the handle 63. The openings 72 and 72apermit manual control means for the thermal responsive device 61 toextend into the forward portion of the handle 68. The handle 68 isfastened to the spacer plate 70 in a manner substantially identical withthat disclosed in the above mentioned Bisley patent and no furtherdiscussion thereof is included herewith.

The thermal responsive control device 61 may comprise any suitablecontrol device such, for example, as is disclosed in prior copendingJepson application Serial No. 29,461, filed May 27, 1948, now Patent No.2,690,623 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.As illustrated, the thermal responsive control device 61 comprises asubassembly mounted on a suitable frame member 75 of somewhatchannel-shaped configuration including a rearwardly disposed andintegral extension 75a which supports a stack, generally indicated at78, of conductors and interspersed insulating members. The forward endof the frame member 75 and consequently the entire subassembly issupported from a rearward projection 36a of the cross member 36 of thesole plate 36 by suitable screws 76 engageable with threaded openings76:: in projection 36a. These screws also clamp a bimetallic element 77forming part of the thermal responsive control device 61 into positionin good heat conducting relationship with the sole plate 30. Preferably,the bimetallic element 77 has a somewhat triangular configuration asbest shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. It will be apparent that with thisconstruction, the bimetallic element 77 is mounted as a cantilever andthe free end thereof tends to deflect in response to temperature changesthereof. In the particular arrangement disclosed, the bimetallic element77 is provided at its free end with an insulating extension 73 which isadapted to be moved downwardly in response to an increase in temperatureof the sole plate 30.

The thermal responsive device 61 includes a thermally operated controlswitch comprising relatively movable contacts 79 and 80. The contact 79,which may be designated as the movable contact, is mounted on aresilient contact arm 81 having one end disposed in the insulating stack78. The inherent resilience of resilient contact arm 81 tends to biasmovable contact '79 toward conducting engagement with the stationarycontact 86'. in order to cause movement of contact 79, resilient contactarm 81 is provided with an extension 83 engageable by the insulatingprojection 78 of bimetallic eiemcnt 77. Preferably extension 33comprises a compensating thermostat and is also formed of bimetallicmaterial which, as the sole plate temperature increases, tends to changethe effective operation of the bimetallic element 77 in a wellunderstood manner. The resilient contact arm 81 and consequently themovable contact 79 is electrically connected by means of an L-shapedconducting member 85 and a conductor 86 with the terminal 33:: of the U-shaped heating element 31. The other terminal 33!) of the U-shapcdheating element is connected by a suitable conductor 37 which isprovided with a terminal portion 88 for direct connection to oneconductor 39 of the power cord 21. The conductor 87 preferably includesan extension 87a which is interposed in the insulating stack '78 inorder rigidly to support the terminal 88.

For the purpose of supporting the stationary contact 8-5, there isprovided contact supporting arm Q0 which is somewhat pivotally supportedby virtue of its attachment to a resilient contact arm 91 having its endremote from contact 80 disposed within the insulating stack 78. T hecontact 80 is supported in insulating relationship with the contactsupport 90 and an electrical conductorin the form of a flexible strip 92electrically connects contact 80 with an L-shaped terminal member 93having a terminal portion 93a electrically connected to the otherconductor 94 of the power cord 21.

The contact 80 has been generally referred to as a stationary contact,but in order that selective control of the temperature of the sole plateis obtained, this contact is arranged to be selectively movable inresponse to the will of the operator, thereby to provide differenttemperature settings for the pressing iron 20. As illustrated, thecontact support 90 is provided with a curved extension 90a which extendsforwardly of the hexagonal rod 40 and is shaped so as to extend aroundthe same. The free end of the extension 90a is furthermore connected bysuitable means with a vertically movable member 96 which is providedwith rack teeth 96a to engage a suitable gear rotatable with a controlknob 98 suitably supported from the spacer member 70 by supporting means99. The elements 96, 98 and 99 are preferably identical or at leastfunctionally similar to those shown in the above mentioned Bisley patentand no further discussion thereof is included herewith. When the controlknob 98 which protrudes through a suitable opening at the forwardportion of the handle is rotated by the thumb of the operator, verticalmovement of the connecting member 96 is produced which in turn causesmovement of stationary contact 80. Preferablythe control knob 98 isprovided with suitable indicia to indicate the kind of goods, forexample, which may be ironed with the particular setting of the controlknob.

The'rotatable knob 98 is adjustable relative to the associated gear notshown engaging rack teeth 96a. However, in order to obtain a moreaccurate control setting of the thermal responsive device 61, there isprovided an extension 75b which is effectively an integral extension ofthe supporting frame 75. Through this extension 75b is supported a screw100 engageable with the rear portion of the cover or shell 62 as clearlyindicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Preferably, a lock nut 101surrounding the end of the extension 75b maintains the screw 100 in anyselected desired position. Upon assembly of the iron, the control knob98 is first connected and adjusted to perform the desired controlfunction within the limits of adjustment thereof. More accurate andfiner control is then obtained through adjustment of the screw 100 whichgives the initial control setting for the thermostat subassembly 61which is only supported at the forward end by the screws 76 and hencethe whole subassernbly can be biased downwardly at the rear end thereofthrough manipulation of the screw 100 which consequently alsoefiectively changes the position of the stationary contact 80 and hencegives a fine initial adjustment of the thermostat control device;

' For thepurpose of permitting the coupling 56 connected to the conduit55 to extend outside the iron 20, the cover or shell 62 is provided witha suitable opening therefor. Morever, to support the free end of thisconduit in a desired position, a suitable angular. support 102 isriveted to the shell at 103 as best shown in Figs. 3 and 10 of thedrawings. This angular support 102 is provided with an opening throughwhich the threaded portion of the coupling 56 extends. Preferably, thiscoupling is provided with a flange 56a and a suitable nipple extension105 threadedly engaging the threaded end 56b of the coupling 56 clampsthe angular support 102 against the flange 56a. The extension 105 ispreferably formed of a plated metal so as to have a pleasing appearanceand extends for a very short distance beyond the shell 62. For a purposewhich will become apparent from the ensuing description, the protrudingend of the nipple 105 may be provided with suitable threads 105a. Thisnipple 105 is furthermore provided with a conically shaped chamber 107therein.

In order to provide a closure to prevent lint from entering the openingleading to the chamber 107 and hence also leading to theconduit 55 whenthe iron is used without the steam attachment, there 'is provided acover member 108 pivotally supported from a. suitable wire member 109extending through suitable openings within the cover or shell 62 andbent over on the inside thereof as indicated at 109a.

From the above description, it will be understood that the pressing iron20 differs from the conventional pressing iron only in the provision ofthe steam generating chamber and associated apparatus described above.As far as the operator of the iron is concerned, however, the onlyoutward difference between this iron which is adapted to be converted toa steam iron and one not so adapted is the nipple and cover 108 thereforwhich extends very slightly beyond the shell 62 and the steam ports anddistributing grooves 51 and 53, respectively. The manufacturing cost ofthe iron, therefore, is only slightly high er with these additionalfeatures than if they were omitted, since aside from the original moldfor the sole plate, the only additional parts are the cover 108 for thesteam generating chamber, the conduit 55 and the .associated parts forsupporting and terminating this conduit including the nipple 105 and theangle support 102.

in order to convert the pressingiron, described above, to a steam iron,all that is necessary is to employ the attachment 25 in combination witha supply of distilled Water. As has been mentioned above, steam irons asmanufactured heretofore cannot be satisfactorily used with ordinary tapwater in the large majority of localities. This ordinary tap watercontains suflicient mineral impurities so that when converted to steamin the steam iron, these mineral impurities remain in the orificethrough which this water must flow in conventional steam irons and clogsthe same. It is for this reason that most reputable manufacturers ofsteam irons have warned housewives to use only distilled water in theirsteam irons. One of the big objections to the steam iron as employedheretofore on the part of the housewife, is the continual filling andemptying of the water reservoir from a container of distilled waterwhich is conventionally purchased in gallon or half-gallon containers.This necessitates employing a funnel and pouring the distilled waterfrom the container into a cup or similar vessel and then into thereservoir of the iron through the funnel. The reservoir on the iron willnot normally hold enough water to last during one ironing operation sothat several fillings are necessary. Moreover, when the ironingoperation is completed, it is desirable to empty whatever water remainsin the reservoir and this is a further undesirable chore. In accordancewith the present invention, this problem is completely eliminated andthe distilled water always remains within the container such, forexample, as a gallon container in which it is originally purchased andis used directly from this container Without any effort on the part ofthe housewife or operator of the iron except to supply a small amount ofressure within the water container which is accomplished by theattachment 25 referred to above.

As illustrated in the drawings, the vessel or container 26 within whichis disposed the distilled water 110, is illustrated as a conventionalvessel which is manufactured with a threaded top as indicated at 26::for accommodation of a suitable closure cap. The attachment 25 of thepresent invention includes a suitable bottle adapter designated at 111which may be formed of any suitable material such as a molded plastic ora suitable metal. As illustrated, the adapter 111 is provided with athreaded portion 112 to engage the threaded neck 26:: of the distilledwater bottle 26. suitable sealing gasket 113 is preferably provided. Inorder to aid in applying and removing the adapter 111 from the bottle orvessel 26, the latter may be provided with projections or ears 114.

For the purpose of supplying the distilled water within the bottle orvessel 26 to the pressing iron 20 and specifieauy to "the -'nipple 105"which 'is accessible from 'the outside"of"the'iron 20,the'a'dapter"111"is provided with anintegral lateral'tubular. projection116 over which may be slipped the flexible conduit 27 which leads to thesteam iron 20. Preferably,the hollow projection 116 is provided withsuitable ridges or the like which will prevent the flexible conduit 27,formed of rubber or other resilient material, from becoming detached. Apassageway 117 is defined within the lateralprojection 116 which leadsinto a chamber 118 defined within the adapter. The chamber 118 isconnected'to another passageway 119 defined within a projecting portion120'of the adapter 111 which is disposed within the neck of the bottle26 when the adapter 111 is associated therewith in the manner shown inFig. 8 of the drawings. Attached to the projection 120 is a flexibleconduit 121 of sufficient length to extend to the bottom of the bottle.The end of the flexible conduit 121 ispreferably provided with asuitable strainer 122 so as to prevent any foreign particles that mightaccidentally becontained in the bottle 26 from entering the flexibletube 121. Efiectively, the flexible tubes 127 and 121 are capillarytubes having an internal diameter or bore of the order of three or fourhundredths of an inch, which bore is of the order of four times thediameter of orifices heretofore employed in steam irons. This means thatthe area of the passageway through which the water flows in the iron ofthe present invention is between ten and twenty times greater than thearea of the orifice passageway in prior art steam irons.

In order to cause the water 110 within the vessel 26 to flow to thesteam iron through the capillary tubes 27, regardless of the location ofthe vessel 26, there is provided in accordance with the presentinvention a pressure producing means comprising the bulb 123 connectedby a suitable conduit 124 with a projection 125 of the adapter 111. Thisprojection 125 is hollow including the passageway 126 which leads to arelatively large chamber 127 opening into the open end of the adapter soas directly to connect the flexible tube 124 with the inside of thevessel 26. The bulb 123 may be a conventional atomizer bulb having acheck valve 128 in one end thereof which serves to permit air to betaken into the bulb 123 and when'the bulb is compressed forces air outthrough a suitable nipple or adapter 129 which connects the atomizerbulb 123 with the conduit 124.

It will be understood that the vessel 26 could be elevated to providethe desired pressure by virtue of gravity. However, the drawback here isthat the housewife would not have appropriate places to support thevessel in elevated position particularly since the ironing would be donein different places at diflerent times. It is for this reason that thevessel 26 is preferably placed on the floor with suflicient pressureprovided to raise the water to a substantial distance above the ironingboard.

It would be desirable for the water supplied to the capillary tube 27 ofthe steam iron 20 to be supplied thereto under constant pressure and inaccordance with the present invention a pressure regulating means isprovided which tends to maintain constant the pressure applied withinthe bottle 26 as evidenced by the arrows of Fig. 8. To this end, theadapter 111 at its upper end is provided with an opening or passageway130 leading from the chamber 127 to an expandable balloon-like member131 which is clamped to the adapter 111 by a suitable clamping ring 133threaded to a threaded extension 134 of the adapter 111. The expandablemember 131 preferably formed of rubber or the like is of sack-likeconfiguration having an integral annular flange 131a at its open lowerend which is clamped by the clamping ring 133 which latter may also beformed of a molded plastic material or the like, if desired. Suitablecorrugations 131b, best shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings, may beemployed if desired to provide a designtproviding uniformpressureregardless of the expansion of balloon member 131, although it has beenfound that a smooth sack-like memher is "satisfactdi'y. {A's'uitable'wa'sh'er13i5iprevehts'the clamping "ring 133 'frem damagingthe annular "flange 15121. The expandable'element'131is preferablym'dlde'd as a sack open only at'o'rie'en'd, although if necessary foralignment'purposes during'the"tnolding operation it maybe'open'atbothends as illustrated, but as illustrated, is open at'andprovided with'a sealing plug 136 to'seal the upper end following'themolding operation. When pressure'is appliedb'y actuation of the bulb123, the expandableniember 131- gradually expands from the positionshown in Fig. 8'to a condition suchas isshown in Fig.1 orby thedottd'lines of 'Fig. 8. Moreover, this expandable element is designed sothat regardless of the expanded 'condition'the'reof, a substantiallyconstant pressure is applied to the' liquid 11'0'within the vessel 26.This pressure is of the'order of two and one-half to three pounds persquare inch. For the dimensions of the capillary tube ref'erred'toabove, this pressure causes a water flow of between 0.35 and 0,4 of anounce per minute. For a capillary-tube several feet in length, and withthe internal diameter in-inches given above, the minimum ratio of thelength and internal diameter, both in inches, has a magnitude of theorder of 900.

It will be understood that when the ironing operation is completed, itis ordinarily undesirable for the bulb'1'31 to remain in'theexpandedposition and to this end there is provided in the adapter 111 apressure release valve generally designated at 140 which includes amanually actuable plunger 1 41 biased by a spring 143 so as to cause avalve seat 142 to close an opening connecting chamber 127 to atmosphere.All that is necessary to release the pressure within the vessel 26 is todepress the plunger 141.

Since the pressing iron of the present invention is one which is adaptedfor conversion from an ordinary pressing iron to a steam iron with but amoments notice, there is provided in accordance with the presentinvention a rigid conduit or capillary tube 145 which provides theconnection from the flexible capillary tube 27 to the nipple 105 whichnipple, as was pointed out above, has the conical chamber 107 therein.The rigid conduit 145 is provided with a flange 146 press-fitted orotherwise secured thereto to hold in place a conical sealing washer 147,which is adapted to be inserted into the conical chamber 107 to providea suitable seal between the conduit 145 and the nipple 105. This sealingwasher 107 may provide suflicient frictional engagement with the nipple105' to hold the rigid conduit 145 in position. However, there is alsoprovided a threaded nut 148 slidably disposed on the rigid conduit 145for engaging the threadedend 105a of the nipple 105 thereby to preventinadvertent disconnection of the conduit145. This rigid conduit-extendslaterally from the iron in a manner clearly-indicated in Fig. 7 so as tohold the flexible capillary tube 27 away from the iron.

In accordance with the present invention, the end of the rigid conduit145 adjacent the capillary tube 27 is provided with a molded unitgenerally designated by the reference numeral 150 which comprises ashutoff valve and cord support. As illustrated, the unit 150 is a moldedunit which is slipped over the end ofthe rigid conduit 145. The portionof the rigid conduit disposed within the unit 150 is provided with alateral opening to accommodate the valve member 151 which is rotatablebetween a closed and an open position. A suitable manually actuablehandle 152 permits ready manipulation of the valve member and suitableindicia as best shown in Fig. 7 indicates the closed and open positionsof the valve. The projection of the conduit 145 beyond the unit 150 isdesignatedas 145a and elfectiveiydefines a nipple for attachment withthe capillary tube 27. Also, in accordance with the present invention,the valve unit .150 includes a pair of. projecting fingers 155 to defineaspace for receiving therein the power cord 21 in clamping engagementwhereby the power cord 21 and the tube 145 are held together between theunit 150 and the iron 20. Moreover, the rigid conduit 145 tends to holdboth the cord and the capillary tube free of the iron so as in no way tointerfere with use of the iron. As a matter of fact, housewives mayprefer to keep the rigid conduit 145 in position Whether the iron isused as a steam iron or not, to maintain the power cord 21 out of theway during the ironing operation. If this is desired, the capillary tube27 may be disconnected from the nipple 145 when the iron is not used asa steam iron. The rigid conduit may have any suitable length and lengthsof nine inches and five inches have been successfully employed.

From the above discussion, it will be apparent that there has beenprovided a simple attachment for converting a pressing iron to a steamiron and in view of the fact that distilled water which should beemployed may at all times remain within the container in which it ispurchased, the housewife will not have the objection to using distilledwater that was prevalent heretofore. Moreover, by utilizing suchdistilled water, there is eliminated the possibility of mineral depositswithin the steam chamber and the resultant plugging up of thepassageways including the ports leading to the pressing surface. Byproper design of the pressure regulator comprising the expandableelement 131, there is provided an arrangement whereby a fixed pressuresubstantially greater than that normally employed in steam ironsheretofore is constantly applied to the water source feeding the iron.Moreover, this expandable element 131 acts as a safety valve in theevent of the occurrence of unduly high pressures in the container orvessel 26 and the worst that could happen under these conditions wouldbe rupture of the expandable element 131. In prior art devices it isnecessary to provide elaborate safety valve arrangements for insuringsafety.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the resistance towater flow in the steam iron of the present invention is provided by thelong capillary tube. In prior art steam irons, the resistance to waterflow is afforded by a short orifice of fixed size. It hasbeen discoveredthat when material of relatively high density if ironed withconventional steam irons that a substantial reduction of steam flowresults and a greatly decreased penetration of the material results.This is due to the fact that the resistance of the material to the steamflow becomes a high percentage of the total resistance to steam flowincluding that of the material being ironed as well as the orifice. Withthe steam iron of the present invention where water under substantialpressure is supplied to the iron, however, the impedance to steam flowaiforded by the material of relatively heavy density is such a smallpercentage of theimpedance to flow provided by the relatively longcapillary tube 27, that substantially no change in penetration of steamdependent upon changes in density of the material being ironed occurs.Thus, an important advantage of the present steam iron is the faster anddeeper penetration of the steam into the material being ironed. Also,the present iron was found to remove wrinkles in the lower layer orlayers of cloth being ironed in a much shorter time than is the casewith prior art irons available on the market-today. From the abovedescription, it will he observed that the steam iron of the presentinvention may have the same weight as the conventional light weight ironnow so extensively employed. All prior art steam irons are substantiallyheavier due to the requirement of a water reservoir and additional steamcontrol facilities. With the present invention, a manufacturer,therefore, may make only one iron which may be used as a regular ironand when a steam iron is desired can readily be converted to a steamiron by virtue of the attachment 25. Moreover, if it-is desired to sellthe regular iron with the conventional sole plate without the steamports, about the only change necessary is a difierent sole plate and acover or shell 62 without the opening in the coupling 56 and the nipple105. In prior art irons, where a reservoir is associated with the ironwhich may contain a substantial amount of water at one time andpractically none at another time, a considerable difference in thetemperature control may re sult. This is not true with the presentinvention where when water is flowing there is a constant flow.Moreover, the water flow close to the thermostat cools the same andcauses the iron to be hotter at other points thereof for the samethermostat setting thereby preventing cooling to the point where watermight be discharged from the iron. It might be pointed out also that thepresent invention permits the use of a steam iron which can be used as asteam iron almost as soon as it is plugged in. The sole plate ofpressing irons such as the one described above can normally be heated ina matter of less than a minute and with the present invention, propersteam flow can be obtained as soon as the sole plate is heated, whichmeans that steam flow within less than a minute is obtainable. In priorart irons, however, the body of water associated with the steam ironmust be heated and a much longer time normally elapses. In view of thefact that the housewife never need remove water from the container 26for filling the iron as in prior art devices, there is no emptyingproblem either since when the conduit is removed from the nipple 105,the iron is empty of water. Furthermore, ironing may be continuous formany hours without supplying a new container of distilled water and whenthe bottle is only partly full without even actuating the pressuresupply bulb 123.

In Figs. 15 and 16 of the drawings, there is illustrated a modificationof the present invention showing a portion of a sole plate 30 which isdesignated as 30 to distinguish it from the sole plate of the steam iron20 discussed above. The corresponding parts of Figs. 15 and 16 aredesignated by the same reference numerals as in the precedingembodiment. As illustrated in Fig. 16, a single port 51 replaces theplurality of ports 51 and connects the pressing surface of the iron withthe steam generating chamber. The port 51' is disposed within aremovable plug threadedly engaging a threaded opening defined in thesole plate. This removable plug includes a pair of depressions 161,which maybe engaged by a suitable tool to remove and replace the plug.The plug is adapted to have a recess 163 at the inner end thereof foraccommodating a tube 164 within which may be disposed copper wool orother suitable material for insuring superheating of the steam.Moreover, the cover 38 of the steam generating chamber is provided witha dome 166 for accommodating the tube 164 and this dome defines anannular passageway through which the steam must flow to reach the copperwool before it may pass through the port 160. The modification of Figs.15 and 16 is primarily for the purpose of permitting removal of the plug160 to clean out any deposits if ordinary tap water were employed.However, much more satisfactory operation is obtained with the firstdescribed arrangement disclosed above using distilled water. The plug160does not extend quite out to-the pressing surface of the sole plate todefine a circular recess which acts as a header for the grooves 53 whichterminate therein.

While there has been illustrated and described what are at presentconsidered to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention, itwill be understood that various changes and modifications will readilysuggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is intended inthe appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. In a pressing iron, a sole plate having a generally U-shaped electricheating element embedded therein, a cover plate, said cover plate andsaid sole plate including 1'5 the po'rtion of said -sole. plate. havingsaidelectric heating element embedded therein defining a steamgenerating chamberadjacent the bight portionand between the legs of saidU-shaped heating element, means interconnecting the pressing surface ofsaid sole plate and said steam generating chamber for transmitting steamwhen produced in said steam generating chamber to said pressing surface,a water supply conduit extending along one-leg of said heating elementand:having one end thereof terminating within said steam generatingchamber at a point remote from said bight portion, a conduit couplingmember supported on said iron so as to be accessible from the outside ofsaid iron and connected to the other end of said conduit,-and a flexiblecapillary tube capable of interconnecting said coupling member and anexternal source of water which water is caused to flow along saidcapillary tube by virtue of a suitable pressure head whereby water maybe supplied to said steam generating chamber for conversion into steam,the lengthand bore of said capillary tube being such relative to thepressure head of said source causing ilow through said tube of atleast-0.35 ounce per minute.

2. A steam iron having-a'soleplate, means defining a steam generatingchamber in said steam iron, means interconnecting the pressing surfaceof said sole plate and said steam generating chamber for transmittingsteam when produced in said steam generating chamber to said pressingsurface, a water supply conduit having one end thereof terminatingwithin said steam generating chamber, a conduit coupling membersupported on said steam iron so as to be accessible from the outsideof-said iron and connected to the other end of said conduit,'a rigidconduit at least several inches in length adapted for connection withsaid coupling member in amanner to extend away from said iron, aflexible capillary tube for interconnecting said rigid conduit with anexternal source of water, and a water control valve provided at thejunction of said flexible tube and said rigid conduit.

3. A steam iron having a soleplate and electric heating means thereforincluding a power cord, means defining a steam generating chamber insaid steam iron, means interconnecting the pressing surface of said soleplate and said steam'generating chamber for transmitting steam whenproduced in said steam generating chamber to said pressing surface, awater supplyconduit in said steam iron having one end connected to saidsteam generating chamber, a conduit coupling member supported on saidsteam iron so as to be accessible from the outside of said iron andconnected to the other end of said water supply conduit, a rigid tube ofrelatively short'length adapted for connection with said couplingmember, a flexible capillary tube for interconnecting said rigid tubewith an external source of water, a water control valve provided at thejunction of said flexible tube and said rigid conduit, and meansassociated with said control valve for detachably holding said powercord.

4. In a steam iron, a sole plate, means defining a threaded opening insaid sole plate extending to the pressing surface thereof, a steamgenerating chamber defined in-part by said sole plate and connected tosaid opening, a removable closure plug for said opening including a porttherein connecting said steam generating chamber with said pressingsurface when said plug is threaded insaid opening, means defining arecess in said plug on the side remote from said pressing surface, atubular member having one end thereof disposed in said recess anddefining a steam passageway extending into said steam generatingchamber, and metal wool disposed in said passageway for preventing waterdroplets from reaching said port, said passageway being the sole pathfor steam between said steam generating chamber and said port.

5. An attachment for'converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal water connection to-a steam iron comprising a rigid conduitseveral inches in length having aportion arranged for attachmentwithsaid exte'rnal water connection, an adapter having means forattachingthe same to a distilled water container, 21 flexible capillarytubefor interconnectingtsaid rigid conduit and said adapter, a controlvalve interposed in the passageway defined by said capillary tube andrigid conduit. a pressure regulating expandable member connected to saidadapter, and a pressure producing means connected to said adapter, saidpressure producing means and pressure regulating expandable member beingconnected to said distilled water container when said adapter isattached thereto.

6. An attachment for converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal female type water connection to a steam iron comprising a rigidconduit having a male portion at one end arranged for attachment withsaid water connection, an adapter having means for attaching the same toa liquid container, a flexible capillary tube for interconnecting saidrigid conduit and said adapter, a control valve supported on the otherend of said rigid conduit for controlling the flow of water through saidcapillary tube, a pressure regulating expandable member connected tosaid adapter, and a bulb type pressure producing means connected to saidadapter, said pressure producing means and pressure regulatingexpandable member being connected to said liquid container when saidadapter is attached thereto to apply a constant pressure to any liquiddisposed in said container and force the same through said capillarytube.

7. An attachment for converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal female type'water connection to a steam iron comprising a rigidconduit having a male portion at one'end arranged for attachment withsaid water connection, an adapter having means for attaching the same toa liquid container, a flexible capillary tube for interconnecting saidrigid conduit and said adapter, a control valve supported on the otherend of saidirigid conduit for controlling the fiow of water through saidcapillary tube, a pressure regulating expandable member connected tosaid adapter, a bulb type pressure producing means connected to saidadapter, said pressure producing means and pressure regulatingexpandable member being connected to said liquid con tainer when saidadapter is attached thereto to apply a constant pressure to any liquiddisposed in said container and force the same through said capillarytube. and a pressure release valve in said adapter for releasing anypressure produced by said pressure producing means.

8. An attachment for converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal water connection to a steam iron comprising an adapter havingmeans for attaching the same to a liquid container, a flexible capillarytube for interconnecting said external water connection and saidadapter, a control valve interposed in the passageway defined by saidcapillary tube, means defining a chamber in said adapter, a pressureregulating balloon connected to said chamber, and pressure producingmeans connected to said chamber, said chamber being adapted for directconnection to said liquid container when said adapter is appliedthereto, said balloon maintaining the pressure in said chambersubstantially constant for substantially all inflated conditionsthereof.

9. An attachment for converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal water connection to a steam iron comprising an adapter havingmeans for attaching the same to a liquid container, a flexible capillarytube for interconnecting said external water connection and saidadapter, a control valve interposed in the passageway defined by saidcapillary tube, means defining a chamber in said adapter, a pressureregulating balloon connected to said chamber, pressure producing meansconnected to said chamber, said chamber being connected directly to saidliquid container when said adapter is ap plied' thereto, saidballoon'maintaining thepressure in said 'cha'mber'substantially constantfor substantially all inflated conditions thereof, and a pressurerelease valve connected to said chamber, said ballon effectively serving17 as a safety valve should high pressures develop in the pressing iron.

10. An attachment for converting a pressing iron of the type having anexternal water connection to a steam iron comprising an adapter havingmeans for attaching the same to a liquid container, a capillary tube forinterconnecting said external Water connection and said adapterincluding a rigid section and a flexible section, a control valveinterposed in the passageway defined by said capillary tube, meansdefining a chamber in said adapter, a pressure regulating balloonconnected to said chamber, said chamber being connected directly to saidliquid container when said adapter is applied thereto, said balloonmaintaining the pressure in said chamber substantially constant forsubstantially all inflated conditions thereof, said capillary tubehaving a fluid passageway of the order of thirty to forty thousandths ofan inch in diameter and said pressure regulating balloon maintaining aconstant pressure of the order of two and one-half to three pounds persquare inch.

11. For use with a steam iron of the type comprising a sole plate havinga flash boiler type of steam generating chamber defined in said ironwith means connecting the pressing surface of said sole plate with saidsteam generating chamber, the combination of a source of water under asubstantially constant pressure head, and a long conduit including aflexible portion interconnecting said steam generating chamber and saidsource, the length and internal diameter of at least a portion of saidconduit and the pressure head of said source being so proportioned tocause a Water flow of the order of 0.35 of an ounce per minute, theminimum ratio of the length and internal diameter of said conduit, bothin inches, being of the order of 900, the major impedance to water andsteam flow comprising said conduit whereby the density of the materialbeing ironed by said steam iron has substantially no eflect on thepenertation of steam therein.

12. For use with a steam iron of the type comprising a sole plate havinga flash boiler type of steam generating chamber defined in said ironwith steam communicating means connecting the pressing surface of saidsole plate with said steam generating chamber, the combination of asource of water remote from said iron, a conduit including a flexibleportion interconnecting said steam generating chamber and said source,means for eflectively maintaining the water from said source supplied tosaid steam generating chamber at a substantially constant pressure belowfour pounds per square inch, the length and internal diameter of atleast a portion of said conduit with respect to said pressure being soproportioned that the major impedance to said water flow comprises saidconduit whereby the rate of water flowing to the steam chamber issubstantially constant and of the order of 0.35 ounce per minute, theminimum ratio of the length and internal diameter of said conduit, bofltin inches, being of the order of 900, said rate of flow beingsubstantially unaffected by the impedance afforded by the material beingironed.

13. In a pressing iron, a sole plate having a generally U-shapedelectric heating element embedded therein, a cover plate, said coverplate and said sole plate including the portion of said sole platehaving said electric heating element embedded therein defining a steamgenerating chamber adjacent the bight portion and between the legs ofsaid U-shaped heating element, means interconnecting the pressingsurface of said sole plate and said steam generating chamber fortransmitting steam when produced in said steam generating chamber tosaid pressing surface, a water supply conduit having one end thereofterminating within said steam generating chamber, a conduit couplingmember supported on said iron so as to be accessible from the outside ofsaid iron and connected to the other end of said conduit, a flexiblecapillary tube at least several feet in length interconnecting saidconduit coupling member and an external source of water, and means foreflectively placing the water of said source under a suitable pressurehead whereby water may be supplied to said steam generating chamber forconversion into steam, said last mentioned means connected to the end ofsaid flexible tube remote from said conduit coupling member in a mannerto cause water from said source to flow through said capillary tube at asubstantially constant rate of the order of 0.35 ounce per minute.

14. The pressing iron of claim 13 in which said other end of saidconduit is provided with a cover pivotally mounted to said iron adjacentwhere said conduit coupling member is connected to said other end ofsaid conduit for closing said other end of said conduit when notconnected to said external source of water.

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